Significant upgrades in the pipeline for the Antigua State College

The unfinished Learning Resources Centre at the Antigua State College has been described as an eyesore by
many. The building has been under construction for over 10 years

The Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) administration will be dedicating significant resources to restore the physical plant at the Antigua State College (ASC).

Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, gave that undertaking Tuesday afternoon. He was addressing students and teachers at the Golden Grove Campus following a tour of the Learning Resource Centre which is under construction at the college.

“All of the wooden buildings will be demolished and we will restore them with proper buildings. We intend to build at least a lecture facility here, one in which you will have state-of-the-art equipment,” Browne said.

“What we are pursuing here is a multi-campus arrangement,” he further stated. “One in which we will have the Five Islands Campus, the Golden Grove Campus, and the Coolidge Campus.”

The government has also set aside U.S $10 million to do some additional work at Five Islands, this will include the construction of dorms for the students.

Similar work will be done at ASC to repair dorms that have been under-utilised for several years.

PM Browne said the institution will eventually provide educational services to students, who come from outside of the twin island state and it is imperative that the facilities are up to a particular standard.

In the past, staff at the tertiary institution have complained of the deteriorating condition of the facility, including filthy bathrooms, no running water and mold.

In late 2017, education officials closed the facility due to safety concerns, after a student was injured on the compound when a panel from a partition in the auditorium fell on her head.

Meanwhile, Hyram Forde, principal at ASC, said that construction work on the new research centre and library is expected to be completed by June.

The project has been on-going for more than 10 years.

“If that happens, then it certainly will go a long way towards enhancing the infrastructure at the Antigua State College. There is a university thrust being proposed by the government and the learning resource centre and library would be a core of that university thrust,” Forde said yesterday following a tour of the building.